Chapter 120
Lin Jianquan won, winning the once-in-a-lifetime title of Four-Year-Old Horse King for Hell King, and he himself also received the supreme honor.
Countless applause rang out, people shouted Lin Jianquan's name loudly, people held up big banners saying "The King Returns", and some people cried and said that this game was unique.
At this point, Ye Tianhui gained both fame and fortune, Lin Jianquan also reached the peak of his fame, and the value of the Hell King reached a new high.
Because of this incident, Meng Baohui was naturally extremely angry.
It can be said that Lin Jianquan slapped Meng Baohui hard in front of everyone. All Hong Kong knew that Meng Baohui's descendants were unwilling to acknowledge this marriage. Not only did they not want to acknowledge it, they also insisted on being under Ye Tianhui's command, and insisted on fighting for the Ye family and helping the other party to deal with their biological father!
At the awards ceremony of the Derby, Meng Baohui could no longer hold back and stormed out in anger.
The Hong Kong media has always had a keen nose, so naturally everyone noticed it and was in a commotion, rushing over to interview.
Fortunately, Meng Yinian was still there, and he was able to hold up the Meng family's situation. He also expressed his congratulations to Ye Tianhui and Lin Jianquan in a friendly manner.
But of course he also understood that no matter what the Meng family did, Lin Jianquan would not turn back.
Lin Jianquan’s mother is gone, and Lin Jianquan’s last concern in this world is gone.
He was reborn, began to do whatever he wanted, and began to live for himself.
In response, Ye Tianhui comforted Meng Yinian: "At least everyone knows that this is your Meng family. Isn't it an honor to lose?"
Meng Yinian smiled bitterly: "My grandfather was also very angry about this, but there was nothing he could do. He could only accept it."
In fact, what else can I do if I don't accept my fate? Now I can only watch Lin Jianquan build an empire for others while I can only watch helplessly.
Because of this Derby, the Ye family naturally had a lot of glory. In this exciting scene, the Ye family and the Gu family held a grand engagement ceremony for Gu Shizhang and Ye Tianhui, and then the two rushed to the UK.
This trip to London, England was arranged in advance by Ye Lixuan. There are also two professors in the school who are good friends of Ye Lixuan and can take care of Ye Tianhui. As for other aspects, there is nothing to worry about, as Gu Shizhang will accompany her.
According to the plan of Gu Shizhang and Ye Tianhui, the two went to London, Ye Tianhui would study, and Gu Shizhang would handle some work matters, so that neither of them would be delayed.
They arrived in London in April. As Gu Shizhang said, it was a rare sunny time here, which was perfect for traveling around.
Gu Shizhang first accompanied Ye Tianhui to school and familiarized herself with the courses. The courses were relatively easy, in the form of lectures and group case discussions. These were not difficult for Ye Tianhui. Perhaps the most troublesome part was the language barrier.
Fortunately, after Ye Tianhui adapted for two or three days, she felt that it was okay. At least there would not be any major trouble, so she felt relieved.
After the initial adaptation, Gu Shizhang accompanied Ye Tianhui to travel around after studying. They first traveled around European countries, and then visited horse shows in the UK and participated in foal auctions. Ye Tianhui also made a lot of pounds from betting, and also purchased several batches of foals to send back to Hong Kong.
At this time, Black Rose had given birth to a mare, who looked like a pony with great potential. Sun Jiajing also absorbed a few of the pony and slowly raised them. Ye Tianhui's horse management company became more and more lively.
Everything is going well in her career and she has nothing to worry about in her studies. This is a rare and leisurely time for Ye Tianhui.
Ever since she went to Hong Kong, she felt that everyone in Hong Kong was busy, as if there was a surging tide behind them that was pushing people forward involuntarily.
Now that the family affair has been resolved, the revenge has been taken, and the horse company is back on track, there are no worries for the time being. It is a rare leisure time in life. I can stop and enjoy the scenery along the way, enjoy traveling, enjoy delicious food, enrich myself in this famous school in a foreign country, and open my eyes to see the world.
The man who accompanies you is naturally gentle and considerate, and also powerful.
He took her to British aristocratic parties, to antique auctions, and introduced her to those in the centers of British power.
One of the people present was a prestigious aristocrat, the Earl of Salisbury. The Earl was over 50 years old, loved horse racing, and was also quite fond of Chinese culture, especially Chinese antiques.
When he saw Ye Tianhui, he was stunned by her beauty and thought she was a classical Chinese beauty.
Ye Tianhui wanted to explain that she didn't look classical at all, but it seemed that the old earl had accepted this point, and since she had no way to explain it, she didn't mention it.
The Salisbury gushed over his love for horse racing and how he had watched her compete. "You're amazing! You're a god! I'm in awe of you!"
Gu Shizhang didn't say anything about Salisbury's excessive enthusiasm, but just separated the earl and Ye Tianhui without leaving any trace.
Salisbury then brought up the topic: "There's going to be an auction of classical oriental art next. Perhaps you'd be interested?"
Ye Tianhui: "Classical oriental artwork?"
Seeing that Ye Tianhui seemed interested, Salisbury began to introduce them to her. It sounded like a batch of ancient imperial porcelain and ancient jade wares that had been passed down from China. They were all rare ancient Chinese works of art.
Ye Tianhui actually wanted to take a look, so she looked at Gu Shizhang inquiringly: "Do you want to take a look?"
Gu Shizhang: "Since you are interested, I will accompany you in a couple of days."
Ye Tianhui: "Okay."
Seeing this, a nearby earl laughed and said, "When it comes to Chinese porcelain, Gu is an expert among experts, unmatched. I'm sure Miss Ye knows a lot about it too."
Ye Tianhui: "I don't really understand it, I'm just a little interested. I prefer horse racing to art."
Everyone started laughing, and the topic turned to horse racing in the UK. Horse racing in the UK is naturally more popular than in Hong Kong, with many different competitions. Seeing this, the Earl of Salisbury suggested, "Miss Ye, you could consider bringing your racehorse to the UK so we can see it."
After he said this, the other people present became very interested and started chatting.
In fact, Ye Tianhui herself also had this idea, but the Hong Kong Derby had just ended, so she had not considered it yet and needed some time to plan.
After all, this is not an easy task. After all, if you travel a long distance, it involves the transportation of horses and the problem of acclimatization, which is huge in cost. However, you have to compete overseas and it is impossible to compete in Hong Kong all the time.
Now they have hit the ceiling and need to expand their competition territory.
Now that she had this idea, Ye Tianhui began to study the British horse racing market.
Compared to Hong Kong, the British horse racing industry has hundreds of years of history and naturally has a foundation that Hong Kong does not have. Just talking about racecourses, there are the famous Newmarket Racecourse, Ascot Racecourse and Goodwood Racecourse, etc. These racecourses can host various levels of competitions.
The UK also has a wide variety of races, and the Kentucky Derby, Epsom Derby and St. Leger Stakes are world-renowned.
In fact, the so-called Derby in Hong Kong, the word Derby comes from the English word Derby, which means horse racing.
In this intense horse racing atmosphere, British horse racing is naturally highly competitive.
Although horse racing in Hong Kong is in full swing today, there are still only a few overseas competitions, and the few horses under my control have never competed overseas. If I can make a name for myself abroad, I can try new developments in the future, such as competing in the United States or Japan.
Ye Tianhui discussed this matter with Sun Jiajing, who also thought it was a good idea. So the horse service company began to consider taking the opportunity to travel to the UK to participate in the competition.
After having this idea, Ye Tianhui also discussed with Gu Shizhang which race to choose as the entry point for their horse racing. If the time is too close, there will be no time to prepare. If the time is too far away, they are afraid that it will affect the next horse racing season in Hong Kong.
Gu Shizhang studied it for a while and suggested, "Why not participate in the Royal Ascot?"
Ye Tianhui: "Royal Ascot?"
Gu Shizhang said, "Even among Britain's former kings, there were many horse racing enthusiasts. Therefore, horse racing here is known as the sport of kings. The Royal Ascot is the most luxurious and extravagant horse racing event in the world. Their upcoming event is called the Royal Ascot. It will be held in two months and will last for five days. Participation is by invitation only from Her Majesty the Queen. The entry threshold is high, but the scale and influence are world-class."
Ye Tianhui: "That means we have to get an invitation?"
Gu Shizhang paused for a moment, then raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a smile: "Get the invitation letter, this is easy."
He smiled and said, "Of course I can get it. I'm an honorary member of the Royal Ascot Club. However, with your current reputation in the horse racing world, I'm sure they would be more than happy to have you participate."
She herself may not realize how famous she is now. She became famous in the Hong Kong Queen's Cup Mountain Race and refused the British Queen's Knighthood Medal. Now she has a certain degree of fame in the British aristocratic circle. Now she wants to participate in the British Royal Horse Racing, which is naturally easy.
Ye Tianhui: "Really? Well, then let's participate in the next royal competition."
Gu Shizhang: "Then bring the Hell King over to participate."
Ye Tianhui: "Yeah, I think so too. Let it participate in foreign competitions and get some gold medals."
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Since it has been decided to let the Hell King participate in the Royal Ascot, Ye Tianhui communicated with the domestic authorities and made preparations. Naturally, there is a lot of work to be done. On the one hand, it is necessary to understand the rules and regulations of the Royal Ascot, and on the other hand, it is necessary to solve the long-term transportation problem of the racehorse.
Racehorses are sensitive animals. Will they feel fear when suddenly facing huge human vehicles? Will they be able to adapt? Will they get carsick? Will they adapt to the climate in the UK? These are all issues that need to be addressed.
In order to stand out from the competition with British horses, we need to study the enemies, the countermeasures, the rules of the competition, etc.
This requires a huge investment of energy. Fortunately, Ye’s Horse Service Company has now hired a group of professional consultants who can study strategies together with the elderly people, which saves Ye Tianhui some energy.
At this time, the Earl of Salisbury sent an invitation to Ye Tianhui to attend the British Oriental Art Auction.
In fact, after the Earl of Salisbury mentioned it last time, Ye Tianhui was somewhat interested, but not very interested, and she forgot about it afterwards. Now that she saw the invitation, she wanted to go and take a look.
She thought of Gu Shizhang's arrangement: "I remember you were going to the United States?"
There have been major changes in his investments in the United States recently, and he has been in frequent phone contact recently. However, there are some things that cannot be done without his presence, so he needs to go.
Gu Shizhang looked at the schedule and said, "Yes, I have a conference call with the United States that evening and will leave for the United States the next day. If you want to go, I will accompany you. If you are interested in watching it, please let my assistant accompany you. I may have to leave first."
Ye Tianhui didn't think it was a big deal: "Okay, just do your thing, it's no big deal, it's just a matter of taking a look, if there's nothing suitable we can leave early."
Gu Shizhang smiled and said, "Okay, let my assistant take care of it for you. You may need to dress more formally."
According to British etiquette, these important occasions require formal attire. Ye Tianhui knew this, so she asked her assistant to arrange it in advance.
On this day, Gu Shizhang wore a British suit, and Ye Tianhui wore a custom-made dress with a colorful hat. The two went to the Oriental Art Auction together.
After arriving at the auction, the two of them looked around casually. The auction included about several hundred ceramics from the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties of China, as well as some traditional Chinese furniture such as fine huanghuali and red sandalwood.
Relying on her experience in her previous life, Ye Tianhui naturally understood some of this, but she still wondered: "Why did such fine Chinese porcelain end up abroad? Did they rob or steal it?"
Hearing the words "rob" and "steal," Gu Shizhang looked at her with a helpless expression and said with a smile, "I don't know about that. Any number of ways are possible."
He thought for a moment and finally explained, "It's also related to China's backward history over the past century. Some Chinese people, in order to make a profit, resold valuable domestic artworks abroad."
Ye Tianhui: "Oh, it turns out to be a traitor, a capitalist comprador!"
Gu Shizhang smiled bitterly: "You can say that, but even now——"
As he said this, he suddenly noticed a batch of ceramics over there, and his expression paused.
Ye Tianhui was curious, so she followed his gaze and was also surprised when she saw it.
You should know that although porcelain has been fired in all dynasties, the firing styles are completely different due to different times and technologies.
The porcelain pieces that Ye Tianhui saw now had a fine and smooth texture, and the walls were tough and thin. At first glance, the shapes were also quite stable and thick, and the style was surprisingly familiar.
This kind of familiarity is probably that when you take a vague look at it, you feel that you have seen it before, and that this is the utensil you used in your daily life in the past.
So Ye Tianhui understood instantly, and understood why Gu Shizhang was stunned after seeing it. Obviously, he also realized it.
It was a kind of porcelain that had the flavor of their time.
Their era was not recorded in the history of this world, and before this, Ye Tianhui had not found any historical antiques that were so close to the style of their era.
Obviously, Gu Shizhang had never encountered this either.
Ye Tianhui looked at the porcelain in the display cabinet, feeling dazed for a moment, a little bewildered, and not knowing what to say.
After a while, it was Gu Shizhang who spoke first: "These porcelains seem to have a very unique style. Come and take a look."
Ye Tianhui: "Oh, okay."
She felt that her voice seemed a little stiff, but fortunately Gu Shizhang didn't seem to notice.
Soon the two of them came closer and looked at the porcelain. From such a close distance, Ye Tianhui felt more and more familiar with it. The porcelain body was solid and delicate, and the glaze was pure white and bright. It was exactly the high-quality white porcelain that she was used to using at home.
The reason why she was very familiar with it was that in their era, firing this kind of white porcelain required fine porcelain raw materials, and there were not many high-quality precious raw materials. Therefore, the white porcelain fired in the official kiln was exclusively for the imperial palace and also flowed into the homes of aristocratic families in the capital.
The utensils she used in the past were all rewards from the palace, and they were all made of white porcelain.
There are also some patterns on the porcelain, which also have the style characteristics of her dynasty.
After looking at it so carefully, the feeling of familiarity becomes even stronger.
This made her even more confused. Did her era actually exist in this world? Was it a period of history that had not been discovered by historians?
She raised her eyes to look at Gu Shizhang beside her. Gu Shizhang was also looking down at the porcelain pieces. It was obvious that he was no less shocked than she was.
So at this moment, she suddenly had an urge to ask him and have a chat with him.
She thought he might want to talk to her too.
But how to start, what to say?
If they really wanted to talk, before talking about porcelain, they would have to sit down and talk about their past lives and her final ending, so they still couldn't escape that hurdle.
Gu Shizhang, however, seemed unaware of this. He looked at the porcelain and said, "These should be unearthed items."
Ye Tianhui: "Unearthed items?"
Gu Shizhang: "It was probably dug out from underground and sold overseas without going through proper channels."
Ye Tianhui: "Isn't this considered smuggling? Can something like this be auctioned?"
Gu Shizhang: "There are some ways to launder the artifacts. They have mature processes. After laundering, they create a legal record for the artwork and then dare to put it on such a formal art auction. From this perspective, these porcelain pieces are estimated to have been unearthed for many years."
Ye Tianhui looked at the batch of porcelain and thought that she had read history books and visited museums in China, but had never seen anything like this.
So this is a batch of artworks that were excavated and then lost overseas?
Gu Shizhang: "If you like it, we'll buy it."
Ye Tianhui was silent for a moment: "I can't say I like it that much, I just think it's very special."
Gu Shizhang reached out his hand, gently grasped hers, and said with a gentle smile, "Then take the picture. I've already paid the deposit, you can take as many pictures as you want, and I'll pay for it later."
Ye Tianhui could tell that he wanted to ease the atmosphere and it was obvious that he didn't want to touch on this topic.
She just smiled and said, "What if it's very expensive?"
Gu Shizhang: "Buy it if you like it."
Ye Tianhui smiled and said, "Okay."
Gu Shizhang accompanied Ye Tianhui for a while. When the time was almost up, he left first and asked his assistant to accompany Ye Tianhui and let her take pictures of whatever she saw. The assistant would handle it later.
At this time, Earl Salisbury was also there. He was very enthusiastic about Ye Tianhui and talked to her about China's traditional culture. Ye Tianhui was curious and started chatting with Earl Salisbury, asking about the origin of the batch of porcelain intentionally or unintentionally.
She understands Chinese history, but when it comes to antiques in Chinese history, she doesn't have the knowledge and doesn't know much.
Fortunately, the Earl of Salisbury was knowledgeable and he analyzed the batch of white porcelain for her. He said that it was somewhat similar to the Xing white porcelain from the Tang Dynasty in China, but not exactly. He has also consulted some Chinese ceramic experts, but they still couldn't tell the difference and even suspected that it was a modern forgery.
After listening to this, Ye Tianhui understood a little.
It seems that she did not miss anything. The Great Zhao Kingdom that she once experienced did not exist in this world, or at least was unknown to the public. Now, the appearance of several pieces of porcelain for unknown reasons has caused confusion among antique experts.
She started chatting casually about her interest in this batch of white porcelain. The Earl of Salisbury was very kind and gave her some advice on how to take pictures of it.
Finally, he suddenly remembered something: "Oh, there are about six or seven pieces of porcelain in this batch. In fact, there is one more, but it seems that it couldn't be auctioned due to evaluation issues. Would you like to take a look?"
Ye Tianhui: "Really? What kind?"
The Earl of Salisbury replied: "After the auction is over, I will let my art advisor know the situation and we can take a look at it together then."
Ye Tianhui: "Okay, thank you in advance."
The entire auction went smoothly. Earl Salisbury was obviously very attentive to her and helped her to successfully buy those porcelain pieces. After the auction, Earl Salisbury, led by an art consultant, took Ye Tianhui to see the white porcelain that "had never been auctioned".
When Ye Tianhui saw it, she was shocked.
It was a plain white-glazed pen holder with a regular and simple shape and almost no decoration, except for a carving of a woman dancing with a sword by the water on one side.
Of course, she would not mistake this kind of pen holder. This was exactly the one she had used in the past!
It was a fine piece of imperial wares, bestowed upon her by the emperor to hold all sorts of brushes.
She even remembered what the sage had said at the time: "This woman's sword dancing is somewhat like General Ye's."
Ye Tianhui stared at the pen holder for a moment before asking, "Can I try this?"
The Earl of Salisbury didn't understand what was going on, but when he saw Ye Tianhui liked it, he naturally tried to please her and said quickly, "Of course."
Ye Tianhui picked it up and carefully looked at the inner wall of the pen holder and then at the bottom.
Sure enough, there was a very small scratch on the bottom.
This was the bruise she got from accidentally bumping into it and dropping it one year. At the time, it didn't seem to be broken, so she just kept using it without replacing it.
After putting down the pen holder, Ye Tianhui's hands were almost shaking under her sleeves.
She searched for several years on the mainland, flipping through all kinds of books in the mainland libraries, trying to find clues about the former Da Zhao Kingdom between the words in the piles of old papers, but she never found any.
She never thought that at this moment, in London, a foreign country, she would see the pen holder she used in the past.
The pen holder bestowed by the emperor was once placed on her desk. It was an inconspicuous object among her many belongings, but a familiar one that she touched every day.
At this moment, this familiar little object appeared in front of her after traveling through thousands of years.
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